Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers
by Crimsonseastorm
Summary: NEST isn't like other military groups because it includes alien refugees. One-Shots revolving around life at NEST. Rated T to give myself leeway for future chapters. No real semblance of plot, as of now chapters can stand alone.
1. New Recruits

**Author Notes: **So first I should mention this is my first fic...ever...ever ever...I didn't expect to ever write one or want to write one. As you are here obviously this has changed and I couldn't tell you why. Regardless I ask you to please be gentle with your critiques, good or bad. This is probably going to just be a series of one-shots...all revolving around NEST and NEST personnel. I'll probably lean towards Lennox because I like his character a lot but who knows.

**Pairings:** Ironhide/Will; Bee/Sam

This will probably change every part. By change I don't mean I'll pair them with someone different; I mean what pairings are in each part. It depends on the characters I'm currently talking about. Nothing Graphic EVER! I promise. Graphic just isn't my cup of tea. If anything it will be mentioned in passing or alluded to. Just because a pairing is listed here doesn't necessary mean it will be visible in the fic itself.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Transformers the next movie would be Steelfeathers' Instability fic...unfortunately that is happening. Which means I don't own them and am making no money off of them. I believe they are owned by Hasbro or that Hasbro at least owns more of them than I could ever even hope to. I suppose I'll claim Mark as my own even though he's just some random soldier that needed a name.

Summary: NEST isn't like other military groups; the addition of Giant Alien Robots tend to do that to a group. Series of One Shots revolving around life at NEST. It all starts with New Recruits.

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Major William Lennox loved his job. He could pinpoint certain things that never got old; no matter how many times it happened.

_An ordinary looking vehicle exploding outward in a flurry of moving parts only to reassemble into a 20-something-foot robotic visitor from another world. A visitor that could kill someone without batting an eye...or optic just as easily as it could kneel down and have an intelligent conversation about who won last night's football game and why the other team could have done it better. Being able to bring down an evil version of said robots with little to no help from their more friendly alien visitors. Just humans with nerves of steel and enough courage to not only look death in the face but to also run towards it gun locked and loaded ready to do whatever necessary to bring it down. Oh and how could he forget...training and debriefing new recruits..._

Will Lennox was smiling faintly as he made the trek across Diego Garcia. After Egypt the government had decided NEST needed its own base and they had promptly provided this one in pretty much the middle of nowhere. This was a running joke among NEST members enough of one that when a civilian asked where they were stationed they replied Nowhere, USA which was a joke in itself as NEST was actually located in the United Kingdom. Anything, Lennox supposed, to keep smiles on the faces of NEST soldiers. If someone asked him the reason for his current smile he probably couldn't have picked just one thing.

_It could be the scrawny teenager currently washing a bright yellow Camaro who's radio jauntily crooned "_Car wash talkin' about the car wash YEAH!" _It could be the strange mix of vehicles that were seemingly random in their placement. A Peterbilt Semi. A Search and Rescue Hummer. A Mustang Police Car. A Pontiac Solstice. Just sitting in an interesting half circle around the boy and his Camaro looking for all the world like they were bored and had better things to do. _

(Observing this Lennox sped up; the faster he got the new recruits debriefed, the faster they could return to whatever it was they should be doing.)

_Or the smile could be because he knew that he was on his way to turn the worlds of thirty some new recruits upside down._

Major Lennox had welcomed three new teams to NEST to date. Telling recruits that aliens existed and were actually disguising themselves as vehicles was difficult but he was glad he wasn't responsible for convincing them that they weren't going to be murdered by said aliens in their sleep. He had tried several different approaches to telling the recruits about alien robots and found it didn't really matter how he told them. He still got the same reaction every time, gaping surprised stares.

_Well...nearly every time...not that he could blame the first team of recruits for diving behind walls, rocks and trees the first time they came in contact with the Autobots. It hadn't really been planned and NEST was new enough that Lennox and Epps weren't quite sure how to approach the issue. Of course Ironhide had solved that problem...by storming out of the nearest building cannons charging up cursing Ratchet out at the top of his lungs. On top of it all Ratchet had come storming out after him also cursing and yelling. Upon seeing Lennox, Epps, and frightened faces behind various objects they had immediately stopped. Then making matters worse they had shifted into their alt modes and pretended to normal Earth vehicles even after Lennox and Epps had told them to forget it. _

Needless to say the first team of recruits were still a little uncomfortable around the Autobots. Will was confident they would get over it before the next Decepticon encounter.

After that Will had done his best to soften the news to avoid freaking out the recruits. This was why the Autobots were currently sitting around in their alt modes; Will felt that explaining first and then showing them was the best way to go about informing the recruits of their alien visitors. He was finally close enough, to the clearing they had designated for this purpose, to hear snippets of the conversations taking place between the new arrivals.

"What does NEST stand for anyway?"

"Who Knows?"

"What's with the truck?"

"What truck? You mean the mountain with wheels over there?"

"Truck?! All these snazzy sports cars around and you ask about the damn truck?!"

"Wonder what makes NEST top secret?"

"I bet it's little green men from Mars. Dude it's aliens I'm telling you..."

"Aliens right...whatever floats your boat."

"Hello Ladies and Gentlemen." Will stepped into the clearing causing the recruits to snap to attention he crossed the clearing to lean up against Ironhide's grill. "Welcome to NEST. Go ahead and pull up a patch of grass, no sense in standing around and listening to all this boring crap." The thirty-three soldiers glanced at one another and sat while Will continued. "You'll find that NEST isn't like the military you're used to. We'll start with difference number one which is also rule number one...Relax. There are rules and protocols and shit but they don't have to be the sticks up your asses. I expect you to be able to the difference between what needs done and what doesn't. NEST doesn't really do politics that well so if you're uncomfortable with that get out." Confused amusement crossed their faces but nobody moved. Lennox was the best and if he said politics were out then they were out.

Will scanned the faces of the new recruits. Memorizing them so he knew who he was relying when it came down to the nitty gritty. He carefully outlined their duties and his expectations. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that these were the best and even if they weren't they would have to be now. NEST didn't take anyone who didn't have the brains or the guts. If a soldier was NEST that meant no going back and no second guessing.

"I think that brings our little discussion to a close...oh wait one more thing...here at NEST we encourage you to ask questions or speak your mind. Even if it doesn't seem like we're listening to you...we are. So with that thought...Are there any questions?" Will didn't even have to finish before hands started shooting up and he was glad they seemed to listen to at least his last few statements.

He nodded to one of the men in the front row "Go for it..."

"Mark Anderson, Major Lennox. I just wondered what the deal was with all the sweet looking cars around here?" Lennox smiled again, grateful this new batch of recruits seemed to be observant it meant that they would live longer.

"What do you think about Aliens?" Lennox asked and Mark blinked confused by the apparent non-sequitor.

"Aliens Major?" Mark paused as if considering the question "Well...I heard somebody say once that the surest sign there's intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't contacted us humans yet." The soldier shrugged "I guess I'm inclined to agree."

"How sure are you that they haven't?" Lennox smirked and the recruits found themselves suddenly wary. That look was sinister some how and they weren't sure they wanted to know what would make the Major smile like that. Lennox paused a moment and came to a decision. He decided, quite simply, that these recruits could do with some scare tactics and he felt like scaring the shit out of them just for fun.

"Ladies and Gentlemen" He began turning to gesture to the truck behind him, "This is Ironhide. He'll be in charge of your training and your assimilation to NEST." The truck behind him exploded outward and stood up up and up to become the Autobots weapons specialist. Lennox turned and laughed at the recruits. They had all taken several scrambling steps backwards and several had decided to draw their weapons though they didn't seem to have an inkling to use them.

"Ironhide is an autonomous robotic organism from the planet Cybertron or Autobot for short. You'll get the rest of your debriefing later over your welcome dinner. They just stood and gaped at Will. Their eyes flickered between him and Ironhide, who for once was being patient and not saying anything. Both of them knew that no matter what they had thought they were getting themselves into was nothing like the reality of the situation.

"So..." Mark was the first to find his voice and stuttered gamely, "All the nice cars on base..."

"Autobots" Lennox confirmed with a nod, "You'll get a packet with the names and alt modes of all of them later tonight. For now? Just get used to the idea of working with them." Will turned back to Ironhide, "I need a ride back to command." The Autobot just nodded and shifted back into truck form. The driver's door then popped open and Will grabbed hold of the door to pull himself up.

He shot one last glance over his shoulder at the stupefied soldiers "Welcome to Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers. Welcome to NEST" and then he shut the door. "That went well...I think." He told the truck as it headed to command. All he got in response was a sound akin to a snort.

Major William Lennox wasn't sure about the future but he did know that he loved his job.

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A/N: So this is after ROTF. However just because it falls in movie verse don't assume everything that's happened still goes. I love Jazz...he's a wicked awesome character and I in no way, shape or form believe that he should have died in the first movie...So as far as I'm concerned he's alive and we caught a glimpse of him here YAY! Anyway please review...I'm looking to see what people think about my first attempt at this. Thanks for reading...also go read Instability by Steelfeathers if you haven't already trust me when I say it's a thousand times better than this measly piece.

The alien quote is attributed to Bill Watterson and the song is Rose Royce's Carwash.


	2. Boredom

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all your reviews last chapter! Each one made me smile! I forgot to mention that I got the title from "A Veiled Threat" Alan Foster. That's what it says NEST means...now the Transformers Wiki has two other meanings but I liked this one the best.

**Pairings Mentioned: **Prowl/Jazz ; Sam/Bee (even though they don't know it yet); Ironhide/Will(sorta if you squint)

**Disclaimer: **I wish but sadly nothing here is mine.

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**Chapter 2: Boredom**

Sam was bored. No, Sam was beyond bored at this point. He had exhausted most of options a few hours ago and he was considering going to find paint to watch dry. Bumblebee, who usually filled up most of his time, had gone with Sideswipe and his twin ( whose name Sam couldn't quite remember...he was sure it was something to do with the sun...) to see if they could hunt down Barricade. He hadn't been seen since he tried to get the glasses from Sam and he knew that Optimus feared that the Decepticons were planning something.

He also hadn't been allowed back into his house at all. Something about the threat of Decepticons swooping down and trying to kill them which was something Optimus had no inclination of letting happen Of course this required Mikaela and his parents to go shopping for all sorts of actually necessary items like clothes and toothbrushes. He unfortunately was currently wearing a very uncomfortable and very hot NEST uniform. Sam was sure it was an effort by Lennox to recruit him yet again but figured if it was an attempt to make him look more like a solider it was failing miserably. This was probably because it had Samuel Witwicky embroidered in a sickly neon yellow color across the back like everyone on base didn't already know who he was. He figured the Decepticons would just see it like a big target when they finally got around to attacking again. Lennox had assured him it was only because one: he was very important to the Autobots and it had a tracking chip in it and two: he was only one of like ten non-soldiers on base. Regardless of the reason his parents decided they didn't like wearing their uniforms and needed to go shopping for real clothes. Sam wasn't allowed off base so he had been left behind with nothing to do.

He had checked the scheduling and knew that Lennox and Ironhide were on the field "training" new recruits. "_Training_" Sam thought "_more like an excuse for Ironhide to show off his cannons._" Lennox, of course, had tried to drag Sam with him and Sam had adamantly refused. He didn't want to be anywhere near Ironhide and his cannons...ever if he could help it. He also had no inkling to be a soldier but he had a feeling it wasn't going to last much longer though.

This brought Sam back to his boredom dilemma. He only really knew Lennox and Epps on the soldier side of the base and realized he knew only a few of the Autobots. Of course all the people and bots he knew weren't on base or were super busy. Optimus was working on paperwork though Sam suspected he was avoiding Ratchet who had insisted rather loudly the day before that he expected to see Optimus in his med-bay the next day. Sam glanced around the apartment he and his family had been given and his eyes fell on the packet of information they had been given. The last part detailed all of the Autobots that had found their way to Earth and came with interesting comments about their personalities for the benefit of their human compatriots.

Sam flipped to a random page and smirked...interesting comments indeed.

_Prowl_

_Second in Command_

_Autobot Tactician _

_Prowler likes ta work; likes the work himself inta exhaustion which means I hafta drag his aft back teh his room. He's all logical 'bout everythin' and he's a real pain in the aft sometimes especially righ' now cause he's makin' meh do these stupid slagging reports._

Sam frowned; first at the nickname "_Prowler?" a_nd second something told him neither Optimus or Prowl (probably) had written these entries and he reasoned the author had done these as quickly as possible. He wondered which of the Autobots had been assigned to fill these out; he had heard that the the twins were practical jokers when they were together so he assumed it was probably them. He promptly flipped the page and started reading again.

_Jazz_

_Third In Command_

_Saboteur and Assassin Extraordinaire_

_This, a' course be yers truly :)_

Well that answered that question Sam thought with a chuckle. He only wondered how Jazz had gotten this past Prowl. He had heard rumors that Prowl was a bit strict and orderly and couldn't imagine him approving these. Though he realized he had never actually met Jazz besides that one time in the alley most of the rest of the time he was running from some random murdering Decepticon. He supposed that he didn't really have anything else to do and it couldn't hurt to track him down; it obviously beat sitting here reading absurd descriptions of the Autobots. Sam figured he could learn about the various Autobots by meeting them rather than resorting to something as base as reading.

Sam flipped the packet onto his desk and headed out to find someone who could point him in the general direction of Jazz. As it turned out Sam didn't actually need much help locating him. It only took him a few seconds to realize that Ratchet's rather loud yelling was focused on the Third in Command. Sam almost gave up right then but decided that maybe they would be finished by the time he got over there. If anything, he realized, as he stepped up outside the medical bay it had actually gotten worse.

"I swear to Primus Jazz if you don't stay put I"ll weld your aft to the table!"

"Aw Hatchet I'm fine! I don' need no lookin' over!"

"Jazz you will listen to Ratchet. It is only logical that he would want to do a follow up examination after yo u were torn in half."

"It's only logical if I need it which I don' "

Sam paused not sure he wanted to interrupt one of Ratchet's examinations. He'd heard the horror stories of Ratchet's temper from soldiers relegated into his care after a battle. This sounded like one of those times when he should be elsewhere. He was seriously considering leaving when Ratchet's voice came drifting out of the med-bay and addressed him, "Sam are you injured or in need of my services?" He sounded exasperated but Sam knew it wasn't focused on him.

Sam sighed and resigned himself to his fate, "Not unless they've started classifying boredom as a medical emergency." He stepped fully into the med-bay and looked up to Ratchet.

"No they haven't" Ratchet replied without even looking at Sam.

Jazz was laying on the table and Ratchet was to this right digging his hands into Jazz's side fiddling with something. To his left was a tall black and white Autobot Sam assumed was Prowl. He was eying Sam with a searching, calculating look. Sam smiled nervously, Prowl was super intimidating...maybe even more so than Optimus Prime.

"I don't believe I have had the pleasure of meeting you yet." Prowl stated, carefully crouching and he extended a hand carefully in his direction, "I'm Prowl. Optimus Prime's Second-In-Command."

"I'm Sam...ummm...Just Sam." he carefully put a hand on Prowl's and Prowl nodded carefully returning to standing.

A cheerful voice interjected, "I'm Jazz. I'd shake yer hand but teh Hatchet here would have ma aft." Jazz lifted a hand and gave a cheery wave which earned him a grunt from Ratchet. "What can we do fer ya?"

Sam shrugged, "I was going through those packets we got and realized I didn't know most of the Autobots and I figured I might as well see who I could find and I got to reading you and Prowl's entries and I...."

"Whoa!" Jazz interrupted throwing up a hand, " Yer startin' ta sound like Bluestreak." He chuckled but Sam frowned, he didn't think that he knew who that was. "Did ya like teh packet?"

"It was....interesting? I'd say the writer definitely has a sense of humor." Sam laughed glancing up at Jazz who was smirking proudly and throwing a sideways glance at Prowl who had started frowning.

"You're done Jazz. Get. Out." Ratchet all but shoved Jazz and Prowl from the med-bay and Sam diligently followed.

"Thanks Hatchet!" Jazz happily threw over his shoulder before stooping to offer Sam his hand. Sam hesitated and shrugged before climbing up on Jazz's hand. He figured if the Autobots picking him up was going to kill him he'd rather it happen sooner than later. "So I take it ya liked it then."

"Something tells me that as amusing as you find this I won't find it nearly as much so." Prowl narrowed his optics at Jazz.

"Aw it was jus' a bit a'fun Prowler." Jazz said with a pout, "It's not like mosta of them soldiers are gonna read the packets anyway."

"He's right," Sam offered helpfully, "The only reason I even thought about reading it was because I couldn't find anything better to do. All my friends seem to have abandoned me today and I was super bored." Sam sighed wistfully and then threw Jazz a strange look when he tilted his head like a dog.

"Teh twins an' Bee are back," Jazz said, more for Sam's sake than Prowl's, "Seems like dey didn' have any luck an' now Bee's lookin' fer ya Sam." He knelt to put Sam down.

"Okay, Thanks! Nice meeting you guys!" Sam waved and hopped off Jazz's hand.

"And you Sam," Prowl nodded and Jazz waved as they headed off in the direction of the main offices.

Sam turned and jogged in the general direction of the main gate. He figured Bumblebee would would pick him up long before he even got close to the gate. He thought back on the previous conversation and he realized he still didn't know that much more about Prowl or Jazz but it _had_ saved him from being bored out of his mind. Though he wasn't sure why Jazz's routine check-up required Prowl's presence maybe it was just some weird Autobot thing. He'd have to ask Bumblebee though he got a nagging suspicion that he didn't really want to know especially since usually when he had to ask it was something that upset the world order or something.

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**Author's Note: **This chapter was just a bit of practice with Jazz and Prowl because I haven't written anything I've just read lots of stuff with them in it. I'm still not sure how I feel about his accent I think he sounds a little ridiculous soooo he may just randomly lose it later (also my spell check and auto-checker hate it a lot).

I also wanted to make a note about how I write these for those of you who care (and as a slight excuse for any errors). I'm in college so I don't have much time to write usually I carry around a notebook and hand write things whenever I have time...this is usually waiting on class to start (or during class if we're doing something useless.) I then type it up and end up adding another page to what ever length it was before because my imagination nags me that I should add something else. This is why my stories may not always flow so well. Also as I have no beta I do my best to catch typos but I'm not perfect so I apologize for those.

Lastly, If any of you have something you want to see happen or want to know more about or a character/characters you want to see I will do my best. As I'm using fanfiction to practice my writing I'd be up for the challenge (though I can't promise anything). As always I encourage reviews, good or otherwise just so I know how you think I'm doing!


	3. Official

**A/N: **This chapter got a little out of control...I expected it to go one way but my muse took over and it ended up going this way instead. So now I'm not sure what to think about it and I'm not sure if I'm entirely happy about the way it turned out...but here it is so you can tell me what you think about it.

**Pairings:** Iron/Will if you squint

**Disclaimer:** Mark is mine! I created him first chapter because I needed a nobody with a name... apparently he insisted on being somebody so this focuses on him. Anything else recognizable is probably Hasbro's...or whoever else owns things in the movieverse...

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If someone asked Mark Anderson to point out soldiers who had been in NEST since it's beginning he could probably do it...now...at the start of his recruitment he was a little overwhelmed...

It wasn't entirely common knowledge, some of them were obvious like Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps, but the others had apparently mastered the art of blending in with the recruits. He figured they were written down in a file somewhere that the Government probably said didn't exist. Anderson wasn't stupid. He knew that NEST didn't technically exist; no-one would accidentally stumble across a file and wonder what exactly it was that NEST did. NEST didn't exist because to the government aliens didn't exist...

"_Aliens don't exist my ass"_ Mark Anderson thought, watching as the shooting range exploded with more force than any human weapon could muster. It was definitely impressive to watch Ironhide...show off would probably be the best description but really he was proving a point; That Cybertronians were dangerous and that the weapons they were equipped with killed humans, plain and simple.

_He believed Ironhide's exact words had been, "It's to strike the fear of Primus in you. One hit from these," here he stroked a large cannon lovingly, "and you're in enough pieces even Ratchet can't put you back together." Ironhide snorted, "Humans are weak and rather pathetic physically but we don't want to keep you from fighting for what's yours...Prime's words not mine. The only team that's proven they're worth dragging out to a battlefield and protecting was with Lennox in Mission City. That's the reason we dispersed them in with the New Recruits; their opinion is valuable and the best way to get that is to be one of you."_

_That admission had them all eying their fellow soldiers suspiciously. The Major had only stood smiling, "When you can tell the difference between the new and the original let me know...it means you're ready to be assigned a squad. Until then we're leaving you stuck on base; Now let's get this show on the road."_

That admission and conversation had been over a month ago. About half their squad had disappeared from the training squad and into NEST's main forces. He also knew that of those fifteen; they had already lost four to battles with the Decepticons and there had been whispers that the upper command had let them join too soon; that it had cost those soldiers their lives. He knew the remaining recruits has asked their friends what Lennox had said or asked when they approached him. They had been rather mysterious and closed lipped about the whole thing. One had finally gotten aggravated, "Either you're ready or you aren't but I wouldn't talk to Lennox until you know for sure...and trust me you'll know."

Which brought the fifteen of them to another bout of demonstrations of just what it was Cybertronians could do. It still was shocking and rather inspiring but he no longer jumped...something he prided himself on thank you very much. Instead he turned his attention to the various other remaining members of his squad as Ironhide fired again. The resulting explosion made all but him and two others jump. Several of them shook their heads in exasperation trying to convince themselves to knock it off. Much like he had; it had taken a lot of mental berating to knock off the automatic reaction to the resounding "BOOOM" that shook the ground just as bad as any earthquake could. Convincing himself first that he was a soldier and that he couldn't jump at every last explosion had finally clicked and had given him time to actually look at the soldiers that would eventually have his back.

Thinking about them had brought him back to Lennox's speech a month prior and realized he was at a point where he could tell the difference even as simplistic as that difference was. Lennox's original men wouldn't jump at Ironhide's cannons anymore because the explosions had become a fact of life for them. After all, where there was a Cybertronian there was probably going to be an explosion especially if said Cybertronian was Ironhide. They had two of Lennox's men on their current little squad and they were currently smirking at the recruits as they jumped again. (It was a testament to how far Mark had come that not only did he not notice Ironhide firing; he hadn't really registered the BOOM either.) One of them noticed him looking and met his eyes. "_Graham" (he thought) _The laugh turned quickly into searching curiosity and whatever Graham found in his eyes made him nod. Mark returned it. He had to talk to Lennox ASAP.

Really he figured there wasn't any time to waste. Standing around wasn't helping to end this war and even if it hadn't included humans to begin with it did now and the humans were sure they were going to help end it. So he decided to approach Lennox directly after this little training session which apparently was now. Of course he hadn't counted on Ironhide sticking around or that Lennox would be standing in his hand when he finally got around to it. He hovered for a moment unsure of whether he should interrupt or just find Lennox another time. After all wasn't it like Lennox was talking to the God of all weapons? If it struck Ironhide's fancy he'd be dead for interrupting...strike the fear of Primus indeed...more like strike the fear of Ironhide....

"I believe we should finish this another time Major." Ironhide rumbled; Optics turning downward to where Mark stood, "We have company." That remark made Will follow his gaze down.

"Sure Ironhide......though maybe you should stick around." Will had given a searching look to Mark before nodding to Ironhide to put him down. "What can I do for you...Mark is it?"

"I know which members of our squad are yours." Mark fidgeted under Will's steady look. He had forgotten how disconcerting the Major's star was. It always seemed like he was looking into you not at you; Like he could see everything you had ever done or thought. There was a dull clanking noise that caused Mark to glance over Will's shoulder and Ironhide settled down on his wheels then promptly popped both front doors open.

"Let's go for a ride." Lennox turned, popped up into the driver's seat pulling the door shut behind him and left no room for protest. Mark only hesitated a second and that was mostly because it was weird to know he was climbing up into a living breathing (_Did_ they breathe? He didn't know) being. He had never ridden in an Autobot and this was a person who could kill him in a second; on purpose or by accident. It was awe inspiring how powerful they were but how gentle they could be with humans. The door clicked decisively as it shut behind him almost like they expected him to bolt...not that he would get far...

Ironhide started driving and where they were going Mark didn't know but Will shot him a glance when his hand tightened unconsciously on the armrest. "Relax...he hasn't crashed yet!" Will chuckled, "And even if he doesn't like you he at least pretends to like me," another chuckle, "Plus he'd have to deal with Optimus Prime, Our Government and paperwork. As much as he likes Prime he hates the other two."

"He's a good soldier" Ironhide rumbled through the radio as if that one statement decided the fate of the planet. Will quirked an eyebrow at that and gave Mark another look.

"See he likes you...enough?" Here Will tilted his head at the radio as if he was pondering something Ironhide hadn't said with that statement.

"Smart; Quick on his feet; Aim and shooting could be better but that's fixable" Ironhide continued. Mark was confused...it sounded like they were already considering giving him a spot on one of the teams. He hadn't had to do any convincing instead they were arguing about what to do with him?

"If you're sure..." Lennox trailed off again and quirked an eyebrow at the radio.

"I am" Ironhide's voice left no room for disagreement and Lennox sighed, "I know he's young, inexperienced and we'll have to cover him quite a bit until he falls in but we've had to do that with all the human soldiers we've let fight by us...I'm willing to risk it."

"You'll risk anything just to get the chance to shoot something" Will pointed out, "And..."

"We're already short three soldiers from that last slagging battle with the slagging Cons" Ironhide tersely interrupted, "Prime's pushing me to take soldiers off of Sideswipes team and just promote the rest of the new recruits. Something none of us want to happen...so either we do that or we start filling our team."

"Sideswipe's team is full of nutcases...him included" Will muttered, " Fine...if you're willing...I mean patience isn't exactly your strong suit." Will smirked but Ironhide was silent. He turned to Mark, "Welcome to Alpha Team. I'll be your human commander and Ironhide will be your Autobot cover. He ranks me even if it doesn't seem like it. If there's a question he's the answer." Will smiled at Mark's shocked look; nobody was ever thrown on a front-line team from the get go. "You'll be alright...probably...you've got promise. I'd learn right now to listen and do without thinking. That's your biggest problem is over-thinking what you're going to do. Complete opposite of the walking, talking time bomb we're riding in." Ironhide snorted and revved his engine in a challenge; Will ignored him.

"As you've probably guessed my team is pretty much thrown into the thick of things and yeah usually we'd put you on another less used, further from the front team. Unfortunately we don't have that luxury anymore. We're short members and we can't afford to upset the dynamics of the other teams. See, if we take men from Sideswipe and give them you; those men will have to learn to work with Ironhide and the others will have learn to work with you on top of you learning to work with the insanity that is Sideswipe. We're risking lives with either option but this way it's only one team and one bot; not two. If we had our way you'd follow Ratchet around with the medic team until you got use to what was going on but we can't always get what we want" Will sighed, "The Cons just aren't giving us enough time to train you properly. Now I probably shouldn't have rambled all of this off but I want you to understand that accepting this position gives you a really high chance of getting seriously injured and an even higher chance of dying. You're not ready...slag I'm probably not ready but we'll have to deal with it. I'm going to ask you to stick to the back as much as possible; we can't possibly teach you everything you need to know or cover your aft the whole time but you're a soldier you'll figure it out."

Lennox gave him an expectant look and Mark spoke, "I accept the position, sir. I'll do my best and there's no excuse not to. It's a great honor to have been picked for NEST and to work the Autobots. I can tell you respect them, sir, and at this point consider them more than just comrades. I can also tell you've learned a lot from them...including some of the more interesting curses I've heard on base, " Will laughed and nodded, "I want that same chance...it's why I'm here sir."

"Well, first things first....Cut the Sir...we're brothers in arms...comrades...I've already said NEST is different. We don't hold as much stock in rank as most military branches because soldiers work together better when they're friends first. You've earned the right to stop calling me sir and call me Will or Lennox or if you can't use those you can still call me Major. You'll know if you need to use sir because you'll be in trouble and you'll know what you've done wrong...Clear?"

"As Crystal...Major" Mark stammered mind reeling to catch up with all the information he'd been given. Lennox nodded and glanced up at the building Ironhide had stopped at.

"Well apparently I'm being dropped off," Lennox said slyly as his door popped open, "Be nice Hide we like him right now." He patted the dashboard and climbed down, "Hide doesn't bite...usually..." With that Lennox gave a wave and left him alone with Ironhide.

By the time his brain came to this realization it was too late to do anything about it. He was already locked back in the truck and when his brain came to this realization his heart rate jumped about twenty beats...maybe he should rethink the not-so-afraid-of-Ironhide thing...

"Relax soldier....I'm not going to kill you. In fact by accepting you on the team I pretty much am guaranteed to have to save your life at some point besides it would be pointless to have wasted all that time training you only to kill you." If Ironhide thought he was being reassuring he was wrong and Mark wondered where they were driving to now. It looked to be in the direction of the other human barracks; the one reserved for new recruits which meant that he'd probably be moving sometime in the next few days not that he would have to if he ended up dead. "I don't usually do the whole listening thing...that's more Lennox's deal but he's still slightly injured from the last battle and he needs time...so I can give it a shot if you want." There was just a hint of regret there whether at the fact he was being forced to talk about "feelings" or about Lennox getting hurt Mark couldn't tell.

He was too busy trying to get himself to calm down. Lennox let Ironhide _carry him around_ for pete's sake and if that wasn't complete and utter faith in something he didn't know what was. "No it's cool" Mark replied trying to force the panic out of his voice, "I'm still in shock a little. I expected to do some convincing and then maybe end up on med core if I was lucky but I didn't expect an immediate argument over where to put me..."

"You've been doing the 'convincing' the minute you stepped on the slagging base" Ironhide sounded slightly...Mark couldn't place it...somewhere he thought between amused and exasperated probably, "It just took this long for you to be ready to face us." Ironhide sighed, "We can't have you afraid of every little boom or every movement us Autobots make..." There was something unspoken in that...almost sorrow but why? What about that made him sad? Mark figured he had just misjudged the emotion; he wasn't good at reading the Weapon Specialist and he doubted anyone but Lennox really could. "Don't make me regret it."

Ironhide stopped with that same finality that he had before arguing with Lennox "I won't...Ironhide?" The truck rumbled in affirmation; he didn't need or want the sir anymore than Lennox did.

It was then getting out of the Top-Kick that he realized one of the reasons Lennox spent so much time with Ironhide. His presence though fierce was decidedly calming almost like it was a promise he would be safe at least for now or as long as Ironhide was around. Mark also realized he was far more comfortable around him now than he had been at the start of their little trip...he wasn't anywhere near as comfortable as Lennox was but it was better and Mark figured that had been the whole goal. Regardless of his feelings Mark was glad Ironhide was the one going to be at his back and figured NEST was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

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**A/N: **Again this is my muse's fault and Mark's because he insisted that he was tired of being a Recruit and not on a team. I tried to make him semi-believable and my thought processes to why some choices were made are pretty much spelled out here; I've never created my own character before so I'm interested in what you think about him... Also is my formatting on these okay or would it be easier for me to do something different...I want them to be easy to read and not glomped together...as I don't have a beta I have to ask my dear readers...

On a side note if you enjoy stories about NEST and the whatnot author: Sorciere has something they're calling "A Series of Four" going on that rocks and you should totally go check it out. They have them listed in order on they're profile.


	4. Friends

**A/N:** This chapter didn't take me very long. I had a lot of fun with it...I'm sure it shows that it was quick but it means you guys get another chapter this week! YAY! Also, if it strikes your fancy, I've updated my profile to include other stories I'm working on. Hopefully I'll get a poll put up to see which ones you guys want first....

**Pairings:** Iron/Will (squint), Bee/Sam (squint)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything recognizable i.e. The Transformers and world. I wish I owned them because then I wouldn't have to give them back...but I don't so I will return them only slightly beaten up...Mark however is mine...if you ask you can borrow him. Otherwise you'll have to talk to Hasbro at the very least and Dreamworks I think....

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There was probably a bonus Sam figured; To having Giant Alien Robots as friends...exactly what that bonus was Sam wasn't entirely sure. Especially when it didn't keep him from being roughly awoken at...what time was it? All Sam's brain would tell him was Too Early.

"Sam?" Major William Lennox grinned cheerfully from the side of the bed when he rolled over.

"Wha..?" Sam grabbed for his alarm clock which chipperly informed him that it was 4:00am. He looked stupidly up at Lennox and observed, "One you're way to happy for me to believe that somebody's died or injured and way to calm for us or anyone to be under attack by Decepticons. So why? Why? WHY? Am I conscious at four in the slagging morning!?"

"One you should show a little more respect to your elders and not curse at them," Sam rolled his eyes, "Two, How would you like to sign up for the Military?" Will smirked at Sam's look of disbelief and Sam opened his mouth to curse at him again; if he wanted respect he shouldn't have woken him up at four in the morning. Will dutifully cut him off before he could start, "I'm guessing that's still a no then? Too bad...Regardless Prime says you have to report for morning PT. Something about not being useless or helpless when the Decepticons decide to attack."

"Those sound more like Ironhide's words than Optimus' " Sam pointed out, "Wait! PT? Like Physical Training you guys do at ridiculous hours of the morning? No...Absolutely NOT!" With that Sam rolled over and pulled the covers up over his head muttering about stupid sadistic army Majors.

"Actually it _was_ Ironhide who convinced Prime you were wholly unprepared in the event of a Decepticon encounter. As much as we would like to think so or make it so...base isn't one hundred percent safe. We all just want you to be ready for whatever happens," And with that he crossed to the end of the bed and promptly whipped the covers off Sam's bed...probably just as thankful as Sam that he had decided to where proper pajamas to bed, "So up you get...I even brought you new clothes...now speed it up or you're going to be late."

Sam curled up as the cold air hit him and then eyed the pile of clothes he was being handed; They were probably the only gym clothes he'd ever actually owned (he'd spent most of high school avoiding gym like the plague). He grumbled but took them grudgingly. Lennox always got his way but Sam was definitely going to take this up with Optimus, "Wait...I thought you guys didn't train until six am?"

"0600 hours" Lennox confirmed with a nod, "However, Ratchet insists on giving you a check-up of sorts before hand so you don't drop dead in the middle of it" Will gave him a cheery smile as if he hadn't just said one of the most terrifying sentences in the whole world.

"Check-Up? Ratchet?" Sam gulped suddenly filled with abject terror, "No thanks, I'd rather be dismembered by Decpeticons."

"Too bad you don't really have a choice," replied Will with a chuckle, "Either you go to him now or he's coming to find you in about fifteen minutes. My helpful suggestion? You show up early because he'll only make it worse for you if you waste his time forcing him to come find you."

Absolute terror couldn't even begin to describe what Sam was feeling. Ratchet fell under the really really scary folder in his brain, partially because Sam hadn't actually talked to him and partially because the only times Sam had seen him he was yelling...Loudly. Sam figured he broke both the Guinness World Record and the sound barrier getting dressed. Will watched him run around his room with an amused smile and handed him an oatmeal bar "Eat that on the way or I"ll be in as much trouble as you for not making you eat."

Sam chomped it down and sprinted out the door. He managed the sprint from his room to the med-bay in less than ten minutes. He vaguely heard Will yell something but he didn't pause; he wasn't about to be late to an appointment with Ratchet. When Ironhide pulled up with Will a few seconds later Sam realized that Will had asked if he had wanted a ride. Will was still laughing when they entered med-bay but he cut off abruptly when Ratchet glanced their way.

"You're late" Ratchet said briskly stooping to pick Sam up off the ground.

"Actually I'm like five minutes early" Sam protested.

"You're late" Ratchet repeated setting him on one of the high tables in the room, "but I can only assume that it is the Major's fault as he was responsible for getting you here."

"Hey it isn't my fault the kid ran here from the dorms! If he..." Will trailed off at Ratchet's glance, "You're absolutely right Ratchet. He's late. It's my fault and it'll never happen again." Sam got the feeling their was an inside joke going on around him...one he apparently wasn't on the inside of because Ratchet's optics twinkled and he turned back to Sam.

"It's about time someone around here would admit that" Sam just eyed him warily as he continued, "Optimus wants to make sure you're prepared to face the Decepticons if you have to. Obviously there's not a lot you can do either way but it's for the best...apparently I was outvoted in the matter. I wanted them to wait a while and do it gradually but they insisted you just be thrown right into the training. If I had my way you'd be following strict guidelines but if I had my way the slagging Decepticons wouldn't still be fighting this slagging war halfway across the slagging universe." Ratchet's voice got louder as his tirade continued eventually trailing off into muttered curses that told them exactly what he thought of the Decepticons; Will just snickered and watched Sam fidget. Ratchet was pretty well known for his cursing even among the humans and Sam was always willing to pick up new ones to use...unless he was around his mom of course...

"Hold still. Let me scan you" Ratchet growled and Sam immediately froze. "Relax, you look like one of those 'four hoofed organics in the headlights'" At that both Sam and Will suppressed laughs at Ratchet's attempt yet again to master human phrases. It was obvious that Ratchet didn't entirely understand the phrase, he had probably never run across a deer, but had heard someone use it. Probably Will when he was telling Optimus about the newest set of recruits which he always seemed to have. This group, instead of running and hiding, had instead just frozen in place when he had revealed Ironhide. He wasn't sure if it was bravery or a bad survival instinct that drove the reaction....

Ratchet glowered at them both but focused back on Sam who had resigned himself to his fate. Ratchet ran a quick scan over Sam muttering in what Sam had always assumed was Cybertronian before splitting one hand, really one finger, into a human sized syringe that filled with something yellow. He promptly stabbed Sam with it and injected the liquid before Sam could ask Ratchet explained, "It's a vaccination against various human diseases you might encounter when traveling with the soldiers. All the soldiers in NEST are required to have it and even though you are not a soldier you will probably be with them quite a bit...you're apparently safer that way...though I have my doubts now that both sets of twins are around."

Sam shrugged; not dying from some deadly disease was just fine in his book. He didn't even really have any problems with needles....and he wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. "Right, you're cleared for training and I don't want to see you back in here...ever!" Ratchet snatched him up and placed him back on the floor next to Will, "I do, however, suggest that if you are injured that this is the first place you even vaguely think about dragging yourself to."

"Yes, Sir!" Sam saluted snappily and Will promptly dragged him from the med-bay. This time Sam actually joined Will when he climbed up into Ironhide.

"I see you survived a trip to the Hatchet" Ironhide snickered and Sam just groaned.

"He's not really that bad" Will reassured him, "He's a lot gentler when you're actually injured or cooperative and being human doesn't hurt either. He can't hit us or throw things at us if we make him made plus most of us aren't stupid enough to give him problems...I mean he could squish us instead of help us if he really wanted. He's secretly a big softie but trust me when I say you didn't hear it from me."

"I suggest forgetting you heard it at all" Ironhide added helpfully pulling up obediently in front of a group of roughly fifteen soldiers. All of whom turned and waved as them pulled up.

"I think I forgot to mention that you'll be training with my team" Will smirked at Sam's groan _could his day get any worse?_ "They all wanted to meet you and we just got a few new members so you should feel right at home."

"They're still used to doing all this stuff and I'm not....like at all" Sam sighed as he stepped out with Will.

"Morning Alpha Team!" Will gave a cheery wave to the soldiers, "This is Sam Witwicky...you know killed Megatron and brought Prime back to life? The one we're all fighting to protect?"

There was a chorus of "Hey Sam"s that caused Sam to promptly blush and scratch at the back of his head meekly replying "Hey..."

"Sam's going to be joining us for the foreseeable future...Prime's orders or I'm sure he'd still be in bed. Obviously, he's still a little out of shape," Will chuckled, "So we're giving him to one of you each week to keep track of which entails you stopping if he stops and keeping pace with him to keep him company. Mark, you're going to be up first...You know the drill guys...Let's get started."

"Sure thing Major" a soldier Sam had yet to meet nodded as the rest of the soldiers stretched and took off jogging. He stepped forward and offered Sam a hand, "Mark Anderson, I've only been with Lennox for about two weeks and with NEST about two months."

"I'm Sam Witwicky...Obviously..." Sam replied taking the outstretched hand, "I'm not technically a part of Lennox's team and I guess technically I've been with NEST since before it existed."

"Not part of Lennox's team...says you" muttered one of the other soldiers jogging by and the rest chuckled along with him. Mark waved them off and dragged Sam towards the track explaining the long list of things they were supposed to get done. Sam promptly forgot most of them in shock.

Forty-Minutes Later found Sam puking his guts out. He was handed a napkin and a bottle of water Mark had stashed somewhere. Mark also gave him a reassuring smile, "You'll get used to it...eventually. I think I spent the first week of Boot Camp throwing up" he chuckled, "Here comes Lennox."

"Hey Sam how's it going?" Lennox asked pretending he didn't notice that Sam had just been throwing up the oatmeal bar Lennox had made him eat. Sam just groaned and guzzled more water in response, "If it's an consolation you lasted about ten minutes longer than I expected and about forty minutes longer than Ironhide expected." Sam frowned at his watch at that, "Ironhide didn't expect you to actually go through with any of it...Prime's orders or not. Guess you proved him wrong...regardless we're done for the day. Mark'll make sure you get back to your room or find Bumblebee."

Sam nodded and let Lennox help him up, "This sucks" he offered, "How I managed to run through mission city and halfway across Egypt I have no idea."

"Adrenaline's a pretty powerful thing," Mark offered, "I'd say for not being a soldier you took Lennox's PT pretty well. You know he just wants you to be ready." Sam nodded, watching Lennox's retreating back as he walked towards Ironhide, he did know.

There was a short blast from a horn and skidding tires, "That didn't take long...Ironhide must of commed him. I'll see you tomorrow at 0600 Sam" Mark trotted off with a wave at the yellow camaro sitting innocently next to Sam.

"Thank God I found you..." Mariah Carey crooned through Bumblebee's radio.

"Bee!" Sam shook his head, "Try to find bands with male singers...I just don't think Mariah suits you..."

Bumblebee rolled back and forth on his wheel's then repeated Mark's phrase "I'll see you tomorrow?" It was followed by a questioning chirp.

"Lenno is having me do Physical Training...well I guess technically Optimus is having me do PT with Lennox...something about Ironhide thinks I'm useless. Wait! You're my guardian aren't you supposed to know these things?" The camaro sunk guiltily lower on it's wheels, " Aren't you supposed to, like, I don't know, Get me out of this?"

"We all want what's best" Lennox's voice came out of Bee's radio and Sam realized that Bumblebee had probably been watching him all morning. "We will do our best to protect him but it is not always going to be possible. If he can protect himself or hide himself faster; He will undoubtedly live longer. Whether we wish to force him into this or not; Sam is a target and he can no longer sit idle" Optimus this time with just a touch of regret to his voice.

"Yeah, Yeah," replied Sam climbing in the driver's seat, "Optimus is never wrong."

_The bonus_ Sam figured _to having Giant Alien Robots friends...is that they will lay down their lives for you in an instant and push you, just as human friends, to do the best and be the best that you can. _The least he could do was a little training in return for that unwavering loyalty and protection.

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**A/N:** As always please review! I want to know what you like and what you don't, what works and what doesn't. I also always welcome ideas! Lots and Lots of them...and please check out my profile and vote on what alternate story you want to see...


	5. Explosion

**Thanks so much for all your reviews!!!!**

**A/N:** Right…so I'm super sorry it's been so long since I updated this one and that this one is slightly shorter than the others…My Megascream "A Spark in the Darkness" has pretty much demanded it be written…and NOW! I was going to do a Halloween one for NEST that I already have an idea for…but I have to write it…sorry. I hope you don't mind Halloween in November or December :D. At any rate…this stemmed from a Bunny on the tf_bunny_farm livejournal. It didn't quite become what I wanted it to…but it gives you lots of insight into who's around, what they're like and who's together *shrugs*

**Pairings: **Lots of mentioned pairings; Wheeljack/Bluestreak share a kiss…that's about it here.

**Disclaimer: **They are property of Hasbro and Dreamworks…at any point either of these companies can happily give them to me as a gift and I'll accept but until that time they retain ownership.

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The base rumbled violently, sending the human soldiers scattering for their various weapons and armaments; smoke could be seen rising from a building on the Eastern portion of the base and Major William Lennox's Alpha team was first in motion. He was directly his troops carefully around buildings expecting to be jumped by a Decepticon at any moment; seeing nothing he directed his soldiers behind a low wall to wait for further orders.

"Major?" Lennox turned to face the woman on his left, "none of the base alarms are going off and we haven't seen any of the Autobots," she pointed out. He considered her a moment; Alana Cowles, choppy brown hair, blue eyes, slightly shorter than he was; she'd been with NEST almost as long as he had and was very easily one of the most cheerful people Will had ever met…and she could probably take him if she tried…it would be a close match at any rate.

The lack of base alarms was a disturbing issue and he promptly pulled out a communicator as several other teams took position around the area; all suspiciously missing their Autobot guardians, "Ironhide! Status!" he barked sharply.

"What?" the gruff voice on the other end demanded.

"Who's attacking? Where? What are our orders?" Will demanded, confused by the laid-back tone of his guardian.

"Attacking? What?...Wait you mean that explosion?" Ironhide's confusion turned quickly into amusement, "Stand down Lennox…I think someone forgot to introduce our resident Mad Scientist."

The radio cut out with another chuckle from Ironhide, "Mad Scientist?" Will was confused and he looked to the other soldiers in his unit; all of whom shrugged and shook their heads. "Teams! Stand down! Epps! We're going!"

"Lennox? What's going on?" Technical Sergeant Epps demanded.

"I don't know! Ironhide said something about a mad scientist…whatever that means!" Will threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Maybe he's injured! Got hit in the head…made his processors loopy," Epps suggested frantically.

"No…he seemed pretty lucid and coherent…just rather cryptic. Let's go see what exploded at least then we'll ask." Epps joined him in jogging towards the rising smoke; leaving their confused teams standing outside the medical bay. Rounding the corner they were greeted by indiscernible yelling and general mayhem; though there were a large amount of Autobots standing around gawking, "Ironhide!" he called up to the big black mech who shifted and offered the humans a hand; they climbed up gratefully, "Now what's this about a mad scientist?"

"Just a minute…I don't' want to miss the show," Ironhide shushed with an amused chuckle and gesture toward the yelling. Will could now hear that Ratchet was the one doing all the yelling and that most of them were standing around just to hear the hummer yell.

"Fine! Don't go to the Med-bay! Just let yourself bleed out! What do we care?! We don't need a slagging scientist for anything!" Ratchet's furious voice was headed closer and Will could vaguely hear another mech but not the reply, "Of course you need repairs you slagger! I've been trying to get that through your thick-afted processors for fifteen slagging minutes!"

The CMO came barreling out of the still smoking building and a mech he didn't recognize jogged out after him…looking very much like something had blown up in his face…or rather his hand, "Ratchet! I demand that, if you refuse to treat me here, you at the very least _Give me my arm back_!"

Ironhide snorted and he received a dark glare from the yellow medic, "Wheeljack! You can't possibly replace your own fragging arm! However," he started sweetly, "If you would like your arm or assistance in repairing it you'll _Get in the Med-bay_!

"Jeez," Epps muttered with a chuckle, "the two of them fight like an old married couple." Ironhide gave him an unreadable glance, "What? You can't tell me they're…?"

"Primus No! Wheeljack and Ratchet have been friends for ages; they met after one of Jack's accidents. Also, I don't think Bluestreak or First Aid would appreciate insinuations otherwise," Ironhide replied trying to figure out why Epps seemed to be freaking out.

Epps sputtered, "So you guys…? Mechs…Married?"

"I think what Epps is so eloquently trying to ask…is Cybertronians don't have issues with two guys..Mechs…being married?" Will took over.

"Bonded…the term is bonded Lennox and No…why would we? Male and Female are organic classifications…they don't apply to us as we don't have any reproductive methods without the All-spark. Also, we aren't limited to just one bonded either…it's not uncommon to have more than two mechs bond. For example, the newest slagging seekers? Purple and Blue? Slagging load of trouble? Well those two are bonded to Starscream…we call it a seeker trine." Ironhide was following Ratchet's storming figure; just in case he needed help with the trailing Wheeljack.

"I think my brain just exploded," Epps muttered, "Who'd want anything to do with him?"

"The least of our concerns is why Starscream is…bonded Epps. I think we need to find out a way of telling…"

"Wheeljack! Are you okay? I felt that you were hurt through our bond and then Ratchet commed me to tell me that you weren't behaving or going to med-bay. I really think that you need to go to the med-bay and are you missing an arm? That looks really painful you should probably go to the med-bay so that Ratchet can reattach it. He can reattach it right? I really think that..."

"I'm okay Blue," the scientist interrupted lightly, "It only hurts a little, Ratchet numbed it and yes it can be reattached." The grey mech opened his mouth again and Wheeljack pulled him into a soft reassuring kiss…in front of the fifty or so soldiers that Lennox and Epps had abandoned. Some of them were gaping in surprise; the rest let out several whistles and catcalls of approval resulting in a rather embarrassed and silent Bluestreak.

"Nevermind…" muttered Will head in his hands, "I think they figured it out."

"It's cool…by that reaction none of them really care anymore than us…it could be the Alien Robot thing," Epps pointed out clapping Will on the back.

"It's never that easy…there are still going to be some that are going to want reassigned…at least at first," Will sighed, Epps nodded in agreement and both turned back to Ironhide, "Explain this mess…start with Wheeljack."

"Wheeljack just arrived. He's an engineer scientist; relatively high intelligence, invents lots of useful things…things that eventually help turn the war in our favor."

"Eventually?" Will interrupted.

"Well…most of them tend to blow up in his face at _least_ once before they end up working…but like I said…he's talented. He helped me build and design my cannons," Ironhide cycled one cannon thoughtfully, "He's relatively quiet, usually keeps to himself and he's good for Blue."

"So we can expect this sort of thing to happen again?" Ironhide nodded; amused, "Okay…maybe we'll want to have a light or alarm for a Wheeljack related incident?" he paused, "Why are we just finding out about him?"

"Jazz put out a packet detailing new arrivals," Ironhide replied.

"This packet?" Epps dug a set of papers out of one of his back pockets and Lennox gave him an incredulous look, "What? I haven't learned names or alt modes yet…maybe I want it for reference."

Will grabbed the packet, flipped to Wheeljack and frowned, "Oh yeah Ironhide…this is a great description," he cleared his throat and read, "Wheeljack, Scientist and Engineer, He's all sciencey. He's all up with my mech Blue and he makes things go Boom (I'd avoid his lab if I were you)." Epps started laughing, hard and Will arched an eyebrow.

"It's a pretty accurate description," Ironhide commented slyly, "Covers all the salients and it's a good excuse for Prowl to punish Jazz."

"Alright…" Will just eyed him with a disbelieving stare and Ironhide shrugged, "Anyone else I should know about? What about this Blue? Or would you prefer I muddle through this very interesting packet that Jazz has pretended to write?" Will waved the packet at Ironhide and Epps snatched it back.

"Bluestreak's fine…a little talkative but he's a slagging good shooter. Slagging good…he'll hit a seeker every time. As for anyone else…hmmm…Red Alert's a little paranoid and security happy but Inferno can usually calm him down. Also, now that that slag-afted Sunstreaker is here the turns are going to prank anything that moves…twins being him and Sideswipe that is…though they'll probably rope the other set in too," Ironhide sighed, "everyone else is fine…we all have quirks…you'll just have to get used to them."

"Okay," Epps summarized quickly, "so the Countach LP500S, the red one with Fire Chief emblazoned on it, is this Red Alert fellow and that fire truck that I thought was just lost on base permanently is actually this Inferno fellow…and they're together?" Ironhide nodded in agreement; Epps rolled his eyes, "How do you keep all this straight? I'm never going to remember any of this! Names…maybe…relationships…not so much."

"I think it'll be pretty obvious," Will disagreed, "There aren't that many of the bots and they tend to stick pretty close to their significant others. I think you'll be fine…unfortunately this means a slag load of paperwork and I don't even know where to start."

"How about you just write really big on a sheet of paper: 'We live with Alien Robots.' And at the bottom in fine print you can write: 'I don't have any idea what's going on and I live on base, so I don't expect you to understand even if I try to explain it.' Then they can come down here and try to work it out for themselves. We won't have to do anymore paperwork and their heads will explode." Will and Ironhide laughed, "What?...I'm serious!"

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**A/N:** The prompt for those of you who care was simply, "Give me back my arm" and somehow I got this…*shrugs* I blame the bunny. Also, I love a good Ratchet/Wheeljack but…right now I'm hooked on Aozoran's "Senses: Sight: Blindness In Colour" which hooked me on Ratchet/First Aid so I just had to include that pairing in this :D…also you should totally go read it (really you should read anything transformers related under Aozoran) it's pretty awesome!


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